Quick Exit
by Ravenwood240
Summary: Complete! Take one innocent girl, one beserker Yank and put them together. Now add one idiot with a slimy mouth, and stir well. The result? This story. Set in the Prophecy AU, in Manticore's 3rd year.
1. Quick Exit

**_Quick Exit_**

A/N: James is barking mad. Everyone knows it and we're about to find out just how mad he can be.

Emma walked into Manticore Hall, and looked over at Chimera's table. She sighed in relief when she saw Rose, Lisa and Adam, but not James or Tiffany. She walked over to the table and sat down. _"Where are James and Tiffany?"_

Rose caught the apprehensive tone, and looked up from the Potions essay she was working on. _"They're in the lab, working on something, why?"_

_"Reginald Crabbe is spreading a tale around, that he's done it with Tiffany."_ Reginald Crabbe was the older brother of Martin Crabbe, the third year Sltherin that James had beaten so badly during first year, when James caught him tormenting Mercy

The flare of anger that this comment caused in the three sitting there brought an instant response from James. _"Rose, what's wrong?"_

_"A minor problem, James, I've got it under control." _Rose was quick to reassure him, even as she stared at Emma._ "He's nuts. James will kill him for insulting Tiffany like that."_

Adam was thinking about it, and trying to figure out what Reginald's angle on this was. It came to him suddenly. _"If James touches Reginald over this, he'll be expelled. Don't you remember what Professor Dumbledore said after the fight first year? James will have to show that Reginald was doing as much damage as James does to him, or he'll be expelled."_

_"He's right, so what are we going to do about it? Having James expelled would be bad." _The other three nearly choked on Lisa's understatement, but they recovered and started planning.

When James and Tiffany came out of the lab, they were met by Jerrick, who had some things he wanted James to look at, and by Mercy, who wanted Tiffany to help her with something. After those two were finished, there were more Manticores and by the time everyone was done, it was well after curfew, and they all ended up sneaking back to the Gryffindor common room.

The next morning, Adam, who asked him to come to Manticore Hall, as they had a debate going on ethics during a battle, woke James. Since this was one of James's favorite debates, he quickly agreed, and they were soon arguing with the other Manticores that were involved.

An hour later, James looked up as Sonya took Tiffany away, saying she wanted Tiffany to hear something, and vaguely noted that there were a lot of Manticores in the Hall for such a beautiful morning, but a comment by one of the debaters drew him back into the discussion before he could wonder why.

Sonya was being guided by one of Jerrick's people who had found Reginald telling the story about the supposed incident to a couple of other Slytherins. She took Tiffany to a place where they could hear what Reginald was saying.

It took Tiffany a few seconds to understand what Reginald was talking about, and a few seconds longer to realize whom he was talking about so sneeringly. James figured it out at the same time she did, and the combined fury of the two burst over Tiffany in a wave.

Reginald's first indication that Tiffany was there was the blow that caught him between the shoulder blades, knocking him to the ground. Tiffany had led her attack with a drop kick, and as she prepared to continue, one of the other Slytherins ran, and the other one pointed his wand at her.

She reacted, and her foot lashed out, striking the boy's wrist and sending his wand flying. Before he could do anything else, her spinning backfist caught him on the side of the jaw, backed by anger and the muscles of three years of training and accelerated ageing. He dropped where he stood, and Tiffany turned her attention to Reginald, who was just turning over.

She struck out with a low kick, catching Reginald by sheer chance, in the same spot James had hit Martin in two years earlier, and these ribs gave way under this assault also. Reginald curled up, trying to protect himself, but that just left Tiffany an excellent target, which Reginald found out as she stooped, and pounded a fist into his kidney.

Tiffany knelt, catching Reginald by the hair and pulling his head back. She struck him several times in quick succession, turning his face into a bloody mess, and nearly knocking him senseless.

She stopped suddenly, and reached into her robes as Reginald watched helplessly. Her hand came out, not with the wand he had expected, but with a silver spoon, with edges that glittered as the sun caught them. "So, you had fun, did you?" Tiffany's voice was low, and the menace there scared Reginald more than the pain he was feeling. "I hope you did, boy, because I'm going to remove you from the gene pool."

Panic shot through Reginald, because she was completely serious.

James had still been embroiled in the debate when he realized what Tiffany was hearing, and his wand appeared in his hand. His eyes were blazing with an anger that no one there, not even Rose had ever seen, and the words he muttered were more a curse than a spell. He was heading for the doors to Manticore Hall at a run as he put his wand away, and what he did next elevated him forever into School legend.

The doors to Manticore led to a hallway. Turning right took you to the stairs that ended in the base of the south tower, and turning left took you to the stairs that passed Gryffindor and ended in the Main Hall. As he passed the doors at a dead run, James showed them all a new way. Placing one hand on the banister, James vaulted over the five-story drop.

A/N: Tiffany's about to castrate Reginald, and James is falling five stories. This looks like a perfect place to leave off.


	2. Of Spoons and Vengeance

_**Quick Exit**_

Rose led the rush for the door and was the first to look over the five story drop.

James was passing the third floor when his summoned broomstick caught up with him. It took him a second to catch it and mount, so that by the time he had control and started flying, his robes were brushing the floor.

Adam started for the stairs saying, "We'd better get down there. I was not counting on that, James might get there before Tiffany does enough damage." Chimera started down the stairs, summoning their broomsticks. As the broomsticks came to them, they took off, following James.

Professor Dumbledore had been talking with the Househeads when the Headmaster spells alerted him to what was going on, and all five of them were walking down the hall toward the main doors when screams and shouts from behind them made them turn. They were in time to see James arrest his fall, and shoot down the hall.

James passed right through one of the castle ghosts without even seeing him. James was drawing his wand, focused on the main doors when they opened. Professor and Madame Potter were coming in with their broomsticks in hand. James flew right over their heads, even as Professor Dumbledore was calling out. "Stop him."

James was already gone, and Professor Dumbledore sent Harry after him. Harry had already been mounting his broomstick, and he flew after James as the first of the Manticores that had been in Manticore hall when James left started streaming by on their broomsticks.

Chimera was first, closely followed by Mercy and Jerrick. Professor Dumbledore started out, following the rapidly disappearing Manticores. "Madame Potter, you might want to follow them. I think your skills may be needed again."

Ginny mounted her broomstick, and flew after the rest.

James flew toward Tiffany, hoping only that he got there in time to hurt the person that had been saying those things about Tiffany. It wasn't his will that stopped his anger, but Tiffany's threat to castrate Reginald. The threat opened his eyes to what would happen to Tiffany if she actually did that, and that thought was what brought him out of his anger.

He started trying to calm Tiffany, even as he increased his speed again.

Tiffany had started carrying out her threat, and had actually made a small cut in Reginald's robes, when James's thoughts broke through her anger, making her pause.

Reginald made the mistake of trying to break free as she paused, and Tiffany doubled her fist, landing another blow to his face. Reginald's head snapped back, and he shook his head, the fear of what she was trying to do keeping him from passing out.

Before either of them could do anything else, James arrived, and made a running dismount, letting his broomstick fall, as he took Tiffany in his arms. He held her, soothing her anger, and turning so that he was between her and Reginald.

Rose, Melissa and Lisa arrived next, and they landed, taking in the scene at a glance. Lisa looked around, and pulled out her wand. "Reparo," she said, repairing the cut in the front of Reginald's robes.

Harry was the next person to arrive, followed by more Manticores and Ginny. Ginny landed, and started looking over Reginald. She looked at Melissa who was standing there calmly, and not moving to help Reginald at all. "Why aren't you helping, Healer?"

Melissa shrugged. "None of his injuries are life-threatening, and considering that he was telling his friends that he'd used Tiffany, I am not sure I could keep from hitting him right now, let alone healing him."

Ginny Potter froze. She looked up at Melissa. "What did you just say?"

Melissa recounted the things Tiffany had heard.

Ginny Potter turned back to Reginald. "I'm surprised you're still alive."

Professor Dumbledore and the other Househeads had arrived in time to hear the last statement. "Would somebody tell me what is going on here?"

Rose shrugged. "It's simple. Tiffany overheard Reginald telling a couple of Slytherins that he's had sex with her, and since James hears everything she does, he heard it as well. He got a little angry, and she was caught in the rage."

"He's very lucky I was not here. I would have killed him." James was blunt, and the look he was directing at Reginald should have killed him on the spot.

"I would not have killed him, but he might have wished I had." Everyone turned to Harry, who had spoken. The look on his face, as he heard about the slanders being spread about his oldest child reminded people that this was the man who had killed Voldemort and Bellatrix Black in duels.

Professor Dumbledore was about to say something when James spoke again. "I will say this. If I ever hear of you talking about my Soulbonded, or any of my family like that again, I will challenge to a Wizard's Duel, Blood and Bones."

Everyone froze, looking at James. A Wizard's Duel wasn't that bad. A Blood and Bones Duel was just that. It didn't stop until one of the Wizards was bleeding and had broken bones.

Professor Dumbledore frowned. "Nobody has fought a Blood and Bones Duel in three hundred years."

James took his eyes from Reginald, and smiled mirthlessly at the Headmaster. "True. However, the laws that allow it have never been removed either. It is still a legal option for people that have suffered great insult or injury at the hands of a Wizard."

Professor Dumbledore sent Reginald off to the Infirmary, and started back to his office. Rose caught up with him. "Sir, what happened was not Tiffany's fault."

Rose told the Headmaster how Manticore set it up so that Tiffany would hear the slander first, and be far enough away that James wouldn't be able to get there before he controlled his anger. "We set her up, Sir. If anyone should be punished for this, it should be me."

"Us, you mean." Professor Dumbledore and Rose turned. Adam, Lisa and Emma stood there, having approached from behind them as they talked. "We all did this, and bear equal responsibility for it."

Professor Dumbledore looked at the four of them for a long minute. "I will think about this. I do not know what the consequences of your actions will be yet, but there will be some." He sent the four on their way, and continued to his office.

Along the way, he was stopped by every team leader in Manticore, including Jerrick and Mercy, as well as half a dozen other Manticores, all of whom claimed responsibility for the actions of Tiffany and James. By the time he reached his office, he had a clear picture of what had happened.

He sat and thought about what his response to this day's events would be, until the perfect punishment came to him.

By dinner, everyone in the castle knew that every single Manticore except James had two detentions each, and that Chimera had lost twenty house points each. The rest of the Manticores had lost five house points each. Tiffany had gotten ten detentions and lost fifty points.

What the students didn't know was that Professor Dumbledore had told James exactly how the Manticores had set up his Soulbonded.

Two weeks later, all of Manticore with the exception of James and Tiffany, was the target of a prank that didn't touch anyone else in the school, and lasted from Friday night until Sunday night, over the Hogsmeade weekend. It meant that none of the Manticores went into town that weekend.

After all, who wants to go into town with a donkey's head on their shoulders?


End file.
